Kitsune Memories
by Albino Kitsune
Summary: Along their travels, Inuyasha & Co. stumble upon a teenaged kitsune youkai. They discover her pains & sufferings and how she acquired them in the past. When Kagome's shards go missing, and the young kitsune is discovered with them, not all is what it seem


Kitsune Memories  
Written By Albino Kitsune  
  
As the sun broke over the treetops, fiery and elegantly, Kagome jolted from her sleeping pad shaking, clutching the blankets around her. It was just a bad dream.right? .But it seemed so real." she pondered. Sighing heavily, she flung the blankets off and started to rummage through her backpack trying to find some breakfast, but paused, and took in the forest's morning routine. Light trickled through the trees as the birds resumed their never- ending hymns to the kokoro. Pulling a travel box of Cheerios from her bag, Kagome collapsed onto her pad once more, popped a Cheerio into her mouth and gazed upon the forest canopy, letting the early morning sun warm her sun deprived skin. Was it really only five months ago? That faithful day when I fell into the well, oh, I will never forget! All the experiences I've had here, in Feudal Japan, they're so unreal, but at the same time, so wonderful! Popping another Cheerio into her mouth, she chewed it thoughtfully, Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Kirara.Inuyasha.what we've been through, what's to come, she closed her eyes and sighed peacefully, what will today bring? Springing her eyes open, a curious hanyou face invaded her sight. "Nani! What do you want Inuyasha," Kagome twitched with irritation, Inuyasha had ruined the moment once again. "What's for breakfast?" Leaping from her pad, her face went red, and she said those faithful words of vengeance, "SIT BOY! SIT SIT SIT!" turning her back on him, Kagome gathered her backpack, and shouted," I'll be back in awhile, I need some time to think things over," leaving Inuyasha submerged in the soil, she stomped off into the forest.  
Waking from all the commotion, Shippou blinked his eyes wearily, turned to a yawning Kirara, and bobbed his head slightly, " Guess they're at it already." Kirara growled subtlety in agreement. Miroku and Sango too were awakened by the commotion. Spying Inuyasha in the covered with vegetation, Sango covered her mouth in an effort to keep her laughter from spilling into the air.  
"You really need to know your limits with Kagome, Inuyasha." murmured Miroku as he sleepily crawled out of his sleeping mat. Glaring at all of them, Inuyasha pouted, " Well I'm hungry, what the hell is wrong about asking for breakfast?" he asked as he started to rummage through the supply bag, "HA! Now this is what I call food," he pulled out a package of chicken flavored ramen noodles, "Now how does Kagome cook these things." While prodding the ramen noodles, Kagome burst into the camp, gasping for air, "Slaughter. shard.come quickly!" Still half asleep, with the exception of Inuyasha, the group sprinted after Kagome as she ran towards the blood red sun.  
Coming to a halt, everyone absorbed the smell of blood and the sight of cadavers littering the mountain terrain. Peering at a dead man with a spear, Kagome thought, "I sensed a shard around here.it must be the doing of this evil," It's just like my dream, but how? It was just a bad dream! "Hey, are you ok? You don't look too well," Sango asked as she took in the slaughter. "Wait a minute.I can smell it, the thing that killed these people!" Inuyasha growled he took off toward the western part of the terrain, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara and Kagome following quickly behind. Sprawled across the blood stained earth, an elderly kitsune demon, about the size of an elephant, was breathing heavily, dieing. Knelling beside the demon, a blooded teenage girl with ivory hair and a fox like tail stroked the dieing youkai, murmuring comforting words to it. With one last shudder, the demon died, and burst into a cloud fine ash, only a sparkling purple glint remaining. A single tear drops from the girl's eye as she hesitantly rose from the ashes. Collecting the shard, she collapsed, clutching her stomach, curling into a fetal position. "Ayumi!!!!!!" Shippou cried out as he rushed towards the shuttering girl. Smiling wearily, the girl whispered, "It has been awhile hasn't it?" and fainted."  
"So how do you know this girl again?" huffed Sango as she started to dig another grave for the mutilated villagers.  
"Our mothers' grew up in the same clan together, and remained friends throughout their lives. When I was even punier than I am now, I met Ayumi while she was roving the land. She's changed a lot in appearance, but she still smells the same," wiping the sweat from his brow, Shippou sagged to the ground and leaned against his shovel, "fey, I'm pooped, aggg!" A large bump swelled on Shippou's head as Inuyasha's fist made contact. "You've only dug one grave shrimp, what the hell are you talking about!" Sighing at the child like behavior, Miroku wistfully gazed at Ayumi, being cared for by Kagome. Noticing Miroku's sudden interest, Shippou blurted out: "I won't even try, she doesn't take to humans most of the time, ouch!" as a second bump formed on his head as he muttered, "Why is everyone picking on me today!"  
Bandaging Ayumi, Kagome noticed the shard clutched in her hand. This is must be the shard I sensed. Peeling away her fingers to retrieve the shard, Ayumi's eyes fluttered open, noticing Kagome, her face cringed. "Please don't take it.I.I need it!" sputtering blood, Ayumi shakily sat up, and fingered at the pink parts on the bandaging," You did this didn't you?" cocking her head slightly at Kagome, she frowned slightly, "I guess all humans aren't that bad," she watched Shippou glaring at Inuyasha and Miroku with Sango laughing silently. "Thank you for taking care of him.Shippou I mean, he's all I have" her eyes clouded up with agony, "I suppose you would all like to know why the bloodshed occurred," pulling the stained blanket over her, she whispered," I'll tell my story when the fire has been lit." and with that she drifted into a dreamless sleep.  
That sorrow in her eyes, what horrible thing could have happened to her, thought Kagome as she walked over to help Sango bury the dead.  
"Aggg! It's driving me crazy! She smells so, so familiar, what is she!" Inuyasha clawed at his hair in intense frustration. The evening fire had been lit and the scent of instant noodles wafted around the camp atmosphere. "You really must learn to be more patient Inuyasha, mrfm, these noodles really are good Kagome," Miroku nodded as he stuffed more noodles into his mouth. Twirling the noodles with her chopsticks, Sango absent-mindedly commented, "Well, she does resemble you a bit. I mean, how many demons have that characteristic white hair that you and Sesshoumaru have." she pointed a chopstick at Inuyasha, "not that many, that's for sure." Ayumi then appeared, dressed in a periwinkle kimono and pants with tiny lilies embroidered into the fabric. The strangest thing she wore was a claw roughly the size of a maple leaf tied about her neck with a white silken thread. Sighing airily, she stared into the fire, as if searching for something within it, but wasn't there. "I suppose you're all wondering why the battle occurred.and I suppose you think that it was it was due to this," she extracted a jewel shard from within her sleeve. "Well yah, what else would have caused it, hey!" Inuyasha yelped as Kagome trotted on his foot. Peeling her eyes away from the fire, Ayumi glanced at others, the fire casting shadows on their faces in the darkness, and continued. "This was only the end of it however, the beginning starts when I was still young.  
It was mid-afternoon, the sun smiling happily upon the earth, a gentle eastern breeze rolling through the green hills. Laughing gaily, Ayumi sprung from one of the hills and rolled to the bottom, where her mother was waiting for her. "Yum, smells good Mama" she cooed as her mother sliced a piece of fowl with her claws. Snatching the meat from the tip of her mother's claws, Ayumi noticed a trickle of smoke rising from some odd looking structures in the valley. Tearing at the meat with her puppy fangs, she inquired, "What's that down there Ma," she pointed to the structures. Smiling uneasily, her mother peered to where her daughter was pointing. "Those are human shelters dear. Humans like to settle in one place most of the time, not many of them migrate like we do." Cocking her head Ayumi stared at her mother," What are humans? Are they like us?" Scooping up her daughter, Mian replied, "Humans are creatures that are almost like us, but can't do the things we can do.your father insists that we can coexist together, and I suppose we could, but." a kitsune boy came staggering up the hillside from the direction of the human village. His leg was dripping blood and he bore recent gashes on his face. Struggling from her mother's embrace, Ayumi broke free and ran towards the injured boy. "Sohaika, what happened!" she cried as she touched the gash on his leg, oozing a pasty trickle of blood. He collapsed on the grass, sputtering, " I went down to see the humans, what they were like.and they were afraid, so afraid.they.they attacked me," and with a dim smile on his face he whispered, "farewell little sister, mother," life fluttered out of him like a gentle butterfly being pinned to a board. Tears sprang from her eyes; "Brother!" she hugged his still warm carcass, smearing his blood all over her body. Mian's eyes turned a deep red as she transformed into her true kitsune demon form, as large as the hill where her son had just died. Stampeding towards the village, Mian let her vengeance be known to the murderous humans, bloodlust in her spirit. "Ignorant humans! Were you so blind to see that he was only curious cub, fools, you shall atone for your fears!" she roared, sinking her fangs into fresh blood. From the distant hill Ayumi watched in horror, as her mother ravaged the human settlement. Then, as if a sign from hell, a lone female warrior shot a miko's arrow that hummed death and flew true, piercing her mother's heart. Clutching her brother tighter, her body sent waves of shutters as she sobbed into his blood soaked kimono.  
Days pasted into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, Ayumi wandered the land, searching for a cure to her tortured soul. Her hatred for humans piled taller every day, it was always there, tightening its grip, and flared at the sight of innocent demons being slaughtered as if they were nothing but filthy pigs. While roving the land, Ayumi acquired an elderly kitsune, like herself, as a companion who went by the name of Shikibu. Over time, and with the teachings of Shikibu, Ayumi learned the fine art of transforming into a powerful kitsune demon. One summer evening, while gazing at the heavens, Shikibu asked about the large claw that hung about Ayumi's neck. "It's an heirloom, from my father," Ayumi fingered the engraved spirals on the claw," My mother once told me that my father was a great dog demon of the Western lands, though, he died when mother was with child, me." She plopped down into the swaying grass and ran her needle claws along the edges of her father's monstrous one, "She said I have two half brothers, though I've never meet them, I don't think they're aware of my existence. That's ok though, I have you Shikibu," she transformed into her true kitsune form and snuggled against the smiling Shikibu, and they fell into a blissful sleep. (Author's note: It's like when a child cuddles with their grandma, hope you don't get any other notions) "Pst, over here" whispered a robust human male, "the demons are over here." A hoard of male humans with spears and sabers abundant closed in on the sleeping youkais. "Hehe, they'll make fine pelts, that's for sure." Opening her eyes wearily, Shikibu scanned her surroundings at the slight rustling noise. The air reeked of human, there were humans! Flinging her eyes open, Shikibu shook Ayumi, "Wake up young'n else we'll both be pelts for these hentai humans!" "What are you talking about Shik..." Ayumi's eyes widened as the horrible stench entered her veins. "Run child, leave this to me" shouted Shikibu as transformed into her enormous kitsune form. Knowing that her protector may die, Ayumi swallowed her tears and watched from a distance, watching her elderly companion fight fruitlessly against the gluttonous humans. She could take it no longer, bursting into her true form, Ayumi bowled down the hill, clashing into the slaughter, bloodlust in her eyes, sinking her fangs into the murderous humans. Old memories fueled her rampage, leaving no human alive, pity was unknown to her for these things that caused her so much anguish. When no human was left to slaughter, Ayumi collapsed into her humanoid form and rushed towards the dieing Shikibu. Ayumi clutched the bloodstained fur of her adopted grandmother, her tears cleansing the bloodied auburn fur, "Hush child, I'll soon be freed of the pain," Lifting up her tear-stained face, Ayumi murmured, "What will I do without you, every time I encounter humans, I lose someone that is close to me." "Not all humans are evil, some are just fine, here take this" Tearing a fine line in her shoulder, a glistening purple light shown through. Dipping her claw into the wound, Shikibu removed a jewel fragment and placed in Ayumi's hands, "Use it well child, and remember, beware the ignorant, not the innocent, for not all humans are evil." And with one last shudder, Shikibu's body exploded into a fine white powder, leaving only a shard of Shikon no Tama intact, an heirloom to Ayumi. The fire sent crackling sparks into the quiet air, none of the humans couldn't even come close to her experiences; as for the demons, it was just their story retold. As the others drifted off into a restless sleep, Inuyasha and Ayumi perched themselves in the trees above, and talked of their father.  
"How come father never told me about you eh?" commented Inuyasha. Sighing, Ayumi closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, "I suppose he didn't want your mother to know about his other romances. Female humans tend to be sensitive about those things. Maybe none of us were suppose to meet, maybe it's because of our lust for power and sibling rivalry. Sesshoumaru is the eldest, that I know of, but." her voice started to drift into a whisper, "we are the younger cubs, and don't have as much inheritance as the eldest." Figuring at the claw about her neck, she gazed at the Tetsusaiga, "Just because we younger doesn't make us lesser than Sesshoumaru in equality, just less known to the population." She jumped up to the canopy and took in the landscape around her, "We are not bound to anything Inuyasha, not bound to the land or troubles of our father, as Sesshoumaru is, only the heavens are our limit." Glancing below her, Ayumi noticed that Inuyasha seemed to be searching for something in the sky, anxiety shinning brightly through his tough ego. Descending to the branch where Inuyasha was, Ayumi asked, "What's troubling you?" He spat onto the ground, "You hate humans don't you? You must have realized by now that I'm a hanyou, so why don't you hate me?" Sighing heavily, she twiddled her thumbs, "It's not like that, I.I just have grown weary of ignorant humans, always presuming that every demon wishes them ill or that we are just a pelt to show off as an act of bravery. The humans you travel with, they seem to be wise in the ways of demon respect, they are the first humans I have encountered that seem decent," she turned to him, "or is something else bothering you?"  
"Phah, why would I be bothered by something, all I have to do is swing my Tetsusaiga to be rid of any annoyance." He jumped from the tree to the forest floor and gazed into the fire. "We all have our secrets, don't we," Ayumi muttered as she toyed with the jewel shard she had inherited Shikibu, and thought upon the freedom she could gain with it. As the evening fire flickered and crackled, owls hooted eerily and crickets chirped beneath the crescent moon. Shippou examined the odd claw that usually hung about Ayumi's neck. "What do you use this claw for anyway?" Shippou inquired as he ran his fingers across the flawless surface. Closing her eyes, Ayumi sighed, and listened to the night's voices, "It protects me from the arrow that killed my mother, binding my soul till Mother's soul is at peace." Pulling a blanket over herself, Ayumi pressed her body into the velvety moss and murmured to Shippou, "Sleep well Shippou," closing her eyes, she curled up her legs to rest. Throwing a bucket of water over the fire, Shippou wondered what Ayumi meant as whips of steam emerged from the ashes of twigs and leaves. "Where.where did my shards go!" Kagome cried out as she franticly searched for the missing shards. "I bet I know where they are," Inuyasha growled as started to sniff the light morning breeze. "I can't believe we let her get away so easily," placing his hands on his hips, he grinned maliciously and glanced at the others, "I've caught her sent, there's no doubt about it, Ayumi stole the shards." Shippou shook his head and stomped his foot onto the ground, "I don't get it, why would she take the shards.why.WHY!" "Why not, she's a demon, right? Any sensible youkai would want the shards," Inuyasha snapped at the frustrated kitsune cub. "Aiii! There're of no use to her Inuyasha, she can't use the shards! Did it ever occur to you why she never used the shard she had? She couldn't use it because.because." his face blushed as he realized that he had said too much. Knelling down to Shippou's height, Sango lifted his crestfallen face as she spoke with sympathy, "Why can't she use the shards Shippou, why?" Gulping, his voice quivered with anxiety, "When Ayumi's mom was killed by the miko's arrow, she was injured too. The arrow was cursed, it.it fractured her soul, she's not complete, she's only partially alive." Inuyasha blinked, "So what, why would having a fractured soul prevent her from using the shard?" Sighing, Shippou plopped onto the ground, "She's kinda like Kikyo, except for her soul not fully being there, it's wounded, a tear fabric of soul really. The shards don't register her soul as living because of the fracture, so that she can't become a more powerful youkai with the shards. I figure the only thing that keeps her soul from tearing even more is that claw that hangs around her neck. If the claw was broken, her soul would eventually continue to tear until it broke into two pieces, giving her the same fate as Kikyo So why would Ayumi steal the shards if she couldn't use them Kagome thought as they clamored after Inuyasha, hot on her trail. The mountains seemed to wave across the landscape in which Inuyasha spotted Ayumi. She was curled up in her kitsune form, a snowflake lost in the green hills of spring. As he closed in on her, Inuyasha noticed a silvery aura surrounding her. Kagome rushed up to his side, and awed as she saw the shimmering aura, it seemed to be in the shape of something, what it was, she could not tell. By the time Shippou, Sango, and Miroku had caught up, the aura had become more defined; it was an enormous kitsune youkai. As the spectators gazed on at this eerie scene, Ayumi scratched out a small indent into the mound of dirt that she was laying upon. She reached into the depths of her fur behind her left ear, and extracted three glistening jewel fragments, inserted them into the indent she made, and lovingly covered them up. Smiling, she nuzzled the spirit before her, "Take the shards mother, they'll free you from the bones and soil that bind you to the moral world." The phantom dipped its muzzle into the soil and submersed it into the glowing shards. A white flash blared across the land, blinding all within close range for a moment. When the light faded, the aura had disappeared, and only Ayumi remained on the mound. They charged toward her, Shippou in the lead, and when they halted in front of her, they were awed. She was glowing, her fur lustier, fangs sharper, and she had grown as large as the phantom. Shippou rushed up to her and hugged her muzzle, as she growled contently in return. Returning to her humanoid form, Ayumi unfolded her palm, revealing the stolen shards, "I have no use for these anymore, take them," she laid the shards into Kagome's hands and closed her fingers around them. "Why, why don't you want them," said the startled Inuyasha. A faint smile formed as Ayumi walked toward the headstone of her mother's grave, "I don't need them, that's why, the shards are only of good use if a pure wish is made upon them. Using them to free my mother's spirit from the miko's curse was pure, not selfish" she spun around and looked her bewildered brother, "To use them to gain power that would be selfish, what would I use that power for anyway? Do I really need it? Not at all, I'm content with what I have, I don't yearn for power." "Didn't you use the shards to mend your soul though, isn't that selfish" Inuyasha spat as he glared at his renewed sister. "Is it selfish to want a whole soul? That's for you do decide, not I. To use the shards to become something because you are ashamed of what you are, heh, what do you think of that brother?" Ayumi knelt down onto the grave, and spoke, lacking any hint tone, "Ignorance is what killed my mother and brother; Ignorance is what caused your soul to be tortured; Ignorance is what strives you to become full youkai. Be proud of your heritage Inuyasha, not all of us are lucky enough to view through the eyes of both species. What took me so long to learn was your instinct. If Mother had had human blood, she would have understood why the humans acted the way they did, same with Sohaika." Standing up, Ayumi glanced at her friends, "I trust that the shards are in good hands. Farwell, may our paths cross again someday" and with that, she walked into the mist, the gentle wind blowing her ivory hair back and fluttering the silk kimono. "Wait, don't go!" Shippou shouted as he tried to follow her through the fog, but she had disappeared. Kagome clutched the shards tighter, it was best she left, she still needs to figure things out she glanced at the dismayed Inuyasha, I guess we all need to sort things out, don't we? Miroku swung his staff over his shoulder, "Well, let's get going, there's still shards out there to recover." As they started back over the hills, Kagome glanced back once more, and thought she saw an ivory kitsune silhouette in the valley fog, don't worry Ayumi, I'll watch out for them! "Hey Kagome, what's taking so long!" shouted Inuyasha from the edge of the forest, swinging his Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. "It's nothing," as Kagome ran up the hill to catch up with the others, she thought, what will tomorrow bring! 


End file.
